Ian Wright on fans attacking players on social media (Like Ryan Lloyd)

[Iron Curtain]

I listened to the BBC sports Monday night club podcast this morning and there was a very interesting discussion about the Xhaka situation at arsenal.

Ian Wright, spoke very eloquently about the impact that fan negativity, both on social media and in the stadium has on a player.

He talked about the impact it can have on their lives and their mental health and, the one the fans care about, their performances.

It’s bad enough in the world of the premier league where the players in question earn millions, but even in that scenario Wrighty mentioned he knows of players who have crumbled and become devoid of any confidence. I can only imagine what that’s like in the lower leagues.

The boo boys who leapt on the back of Ryan Lloyd, a lad who was brought in as a backup squad player, did a number on him.

How much of his performances are due to the abuse he received we will never know... it  certainly won’t have helped.

In today’s social media world, fans feel like they can abuse and attack players behind the comfort of their screens... It’s often portrayed in unintelligent swearing or ranting, or a relentless bringing up of the player at every opportunity even when it’s not relevant to a topic... interestingly  however, when given the chance to come face to face with a player, as demonstrated at Macc,(Pope in that case) they shrink up their own arseholes.

Calling out a bad performance, or pointing out when player has messed up is part of the game... however the issue comes when that crosses over into vitriolic, personal, relentless attack. The laughable thing is that it’s small man syndrome 

One idiot on twitter started abusing Scott Burgess the day he signed (a few on here came close)... when called out on it, I was abused myself and then blocked. Tiny tiny man syndrome.

Interestingly the boo boys have now moved onto Crookes and if they are not careful he will go the same way as Lloyd. It would be fascinating to know how he would respond if the fans supported him and got behind him.

There is a HUGE difference between hoping a player succeeds and supporting them.

There is a HUGE difference between hoping a team does well and supporting them.

[Emile]

If Ryan reads this (which I hope he doesn't) he's got my full backing. Never looked like he doesn't care when playing and I'm happy to have him in the squad!!

 

Prove the <ovf censored> wrong Ryan! 

[Howjy04]

Probably best for all concerned,especially players,to stay off social media,IC.Needing the hide of a rhinoceros springs to mind.

[Iron Curtain]

28 minutes ago, Howjy04 said:

Probably best for all concerned,especially players,to stay off social media,IC.Needing the hide of a rhinoceros springs to mind.

Totally agree... it must be a nightmare.

As Ian Wright said though, in today’s day and age that’s almost impossible for the younger generation... it’s how they socialise.

That would be like asking the players in the olden days not to go out of their front doors. I don’t get it myself but whether we like it or not, the footballing generation as tech enabled and tech dependent. 

[toyahw]

Well it is a fine line between "attacking" and expressing an opinion isn't it? Anything personal, or when a player has hardly even played getting on his back is out of order.

You say Crookes is the next target of the boo boys. Well I've seen him play 20 odd games in that position and I don't think he is a much of a LB. Nothing against the bloke, not suggesting he doesn't try. Not suggesting he couldn't get better. Or be better in a more natural position for him. But that is my opinion based on what I have seen. Does that make me a boo boy? (At the ground I would never boo any Vale player).

And it's nothing new. I've been on the terraces and heard Nev Chamberlain, Terry Bailey, BIg Leon C and many others ripped apart from the stands. Within earshot of the players. And the stick Aspo got as manager. At the ground. So even without social media to some extent it comes with the territory.

So long as it is kept within reason.

[Joe B]

The concentrated vitriol towards Lloyd was amongst the most baffling outbursts this fanbase has had.

Yes, you're perfectly entitled to not rate the signing. Yes, you're perfectly entitled to think he's not up to standard. That's absolutely fine.

What confused me was literally EVERY time Lloyd was mentioned by the official account, whether it be the signing, him playing etc, it was full of "ffs he is absolute sh***", and "fgs anyone but Ryan Lloyd", and "can't believe Lloyd is playing". It was absolutely incessant for weeks and I fell out with Vale fans on Twitter for asking for people to calm down over the signing of a backup midfielder. Whether he is good enough or not, some people's borderline obsession with piling in on the lad was at best weird, and at worst wrong. This was before he'd played a minute for us this season, 40 year old men having a right old chortle as they have a perverse back and forth on Twitter, @ing eachother with repeated variants of "Lloyd isn't very good".

Its lucky that the lad doesn't have Twitter, and what a strange world we live in where a young man in his twenties can't use a social media account because Barry who never leaves the Crown on matchdays can't help himself but publicly proclaim he thinks that he's 'sh***'.

It happens on here, we all know the individual who can't go 3 posts without bringing up that the 'money could have been spent better elsewhere'. Yes, you're probably right mate. Stop going on.

I'm all for letting players know if they aren't putting a shift in, but the concentrated "he's sh***" attacks on Lloyd before he'd kicked a ball were embarassing as a fanbase.

[toyahw]

8 minutes ago, Joe B said:

but the concentrated "he's sh***" attacks on Lloyd before he'd kicked a ball were embarassing as a fanbase.

It was all by one poster.  But those who shout the loudest these days seem to manage to appear the "majority". 

[toyahw]

Plus also RS tore him to bits when he played as well. Unfairly. You wonder if they do their research here sometimes.

[Iron Curtain]

7 minutes ago, toyahw said:

It was all by one poster.  But those who shout the loudest these days seem to manage to appear the "majority". 

If you follow any of the vale sites on Facebook or twitter it unfortunately wasn’t one person... it was incessant.

Joe B’s description of the type involved is an excellent one based on their pictures.

There was a king of the overreactions on here I agree, but his was more of a wind up game because he loves attention.

 

[Iron Curtain]

48 minutes ago, toyahw said:

You say Crookes is the next target of the boo boys. Well I've seen him play 20 odd games in that position and I don't think he is a much of a LB. Nothing against the bloke, not suggesting he doesn't try. Not suggesting he couldn't get better. Or be better in a more natural position for him. But that is my opinion based on what I have seen. Does that make me a boo boy? (At the ground I would never boo any Vale player).

Based on that description I would say you are not a boo boy.

If however you go on twitter or Facebook with a relentless Repetition of phrases like “he is f*****g w**k” and “I wouldn’t have him anywhere near the team ever again he is t*ss” then I would say you are.

[toyahw]

1 minute ago, Iron Curtain said:

If you follow any of the vale sites on Facebook or twitter it unfortunately wasn’t one person... it was incessant.

Joe B’s description of the type involved is an excellent one based on their pictures.

There was a king of the overreactions on here I agree, but his was more of a wind up game because he loves attention.

 

I don't. I only follow here and PVO.  Which are vaguely sane. Mostly. So I bow to your superior knowledge. Facebook I avoid like the plague on all subjects. So I don't know what was said there.

[geosname]

Unfortunately progress has opened doors difficult to close.

The only way to avoid it is to not read it.

Pitchside is slightly different..... it could be overcome by bans but who decides who gets banned?..... and on what criteria.

[Joe B]

You're right in that on here it was one bloke, but Facebook and Twitter had a number of individuals who appeared to derive pleasure from kicking Lloyd when he was down, openly and on a public platform in posts directly linking to him, which undoubtedly any fans/friends which had social media would be reading.

Twitter and Facebook are cesspits of targeted negativity, and they're the worse as they're the ones the players can, and sometimes will, read.

Fan opinion is a crucial and brilliant part of the game, but since the rise and ploliferation of social media, its become more and more commonplace for fans to feel the right to have a direct line of communication to a player to tell him, in quite assertive terms, he's not very good, as opposed to just winging about a player on the terraces/in the pub/in the car home.

A (significant) minority of Vale fans outdid themselves by doing that to a lad before he'd played any competitive football for us in his current spell.

 

[Joe B]

1 hour ago, toyahw said:

Well it is a fine line between "attacking" and expressing an opinion isn't it? Anything personal, or when a player has hardly even played getting on his back is out of order.

You say Crookes is the next target of the boo boys. Well I've seen him play 20 odd games in that position and I don't think he is a much of a LB. Nothing against the bloke, not suggesting he doesn't try. Not suggesting he couldn't get better. Or be better in a more natural position for him. But that is my opinion based on what I have seen. Does that make me a boo boy? (At the ground I would never boo any Vale player).

And it's nothing new. I've been on the terraces and heard Nev Chamberlain, Terry Bailey, BIg Leon C and many others ripped apart from the stands. Within earshot of the players. And the stick Aspo got as manager. At the ground. So even without social media to some extent it comes with the territory.

So long as it is kept within reason.

This is perfectly reasonable. You've watched a player, probably correctly judged he isn't up to standard not due to a lack of effort, and wish to see someone else in his position. You don't take to social media to give him a kicking and proclaim how bad he is to everyone, over and over everytime you see his name mentioned.

[TJHValiant]

Pope gives as good as he gets and doesn’t cry off like Xhaka did. Xhaka plays badly and seems to expect adulation. 

Leon Legge interacts well with fans on twitter. Debates well with fan complaints and responds positively when good points are made.